Pictured above are Capt. “Sully” Sullenberger (left) and his First Officer Jeffrey Skiles

Chesley Burnett "Sully" Sullenberger III was an American airline pilot, safety expert, and accident investigator from Danville, California. Sullenberger rose to fame when he successfully ditched U S Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River off Manhattan, New York City, on January 15, 2009, saving the lives of all 155 people on the aircraft.

Sullenberger is an international speaker on airline safety and has helped develop new protocols for airline safety. As of September 30, 2009, Sullenberger is also the co-chairman of the EAA’s Young Eagles youth introduction-to-aviation program. Sullenberger retired from US Airways and its predecessor airline after 30 years with them on March 3, 2010.

He is the author of Highest Duty, a memoir of his life and of the events surrounding Flight 1549, published in 2009 by HarperCollins. He was ranked second in Time Magazine’s Top 100 Most Influential Heroes and Icons of 2009.